Like Our Facebook Page For Latest News
Nurseries provide more than an opportunity to make friends and paint pictures to proudly bring home. At nurseries in the UAE every activity is carefully monitored and involves unique learning approaches that help develop fundamental skills to prepare youngsters for the future and for admission into leading schools.
“The early years are the most progressive time in a child’s overall development,” says Sari Saliba, Head of Education, Babilou Middle East Group.
At Blossom by Babilou, we understand that children learn in many ways and our approach supports learning through exploration and discovery.
Sari Saliba, Head of Education, Babilou Middle East Group
“The first years are crucial, especially for physical, intellectual and social-emotional development. From before birth, a child’s brain is developing rapidly, and the first years will build the foundation for future learning.”
However, while this age might be crucial in a child’s learning, they also need a caring and safe environment.
“At Blossom by Babilou, we understand that children learn in many ways and our approach supports learning through exploration and discovery,” says Saliba. “We choose the most passionate and caring educators who are sensitive to children’s needs and who respond to children’s individual ways of learning. ”
Although good teaching will undoubtedly bring out the best in young learners, from the moment children step inside the nursery door, getting the best from them is achieved by gaining their interest.
Age-appropriate pedagogies
“From our first moments of meeting with each child we really get to know and understand their unique and beautiful traits,” says Bernadette King-Turner, Founding Partner and Managing Director of Yellow Brick Road Nursery and Crystal Valley Nursery. “As both Yellow Brick Road and Crystal Valley Nurseries offer for the children a vast variety of unique, child-centred learning environments, creative arts and programmes, each child is naturally and instinctively drawn towards their own areas of personal interest which are designed to bring out the best in every child’s early growing and development.”
The progression of learning is different for every unique child at varied stages and phases of their growing years. Regardless of the choice of curriculum or what part of the world the children might later reside in, the pursuit of their learning discoveries is always our primary focus to keep each child excited and motivated to be life-long learners.
Bernadette King-Turner, Founding Partner and Managing Director of Yellow Brick Road Nursery and Crystal Valley Nursery
Personalising the approach to learning is one of the many ways in which nurseries unleash a child’s talent with their assiduously prepared learning programmes.
King-Turner says, “The progression of learning is different for every unique child at varied stages and phases of their growing years. Regardless of the choice of curriculum or what part of the world the children might later reside in, the pursuit of their learning discoveries is always our primary focus to keep each child excited and motivated to be life-long learners.”
She adds, “Our focuses and protocols continuously monitor each child’s developmental milestones to facilitate varied options of engagements and programmes to express their creative selves.”
Certainly, monitoring a young child’s progress is one of the critical approaches that can aid in them successfully achieving fundamental skills and becoming school-ready.
“At Jebel Ali Village Nursery we care deeply about the development of every child and our dedicated staff work tirelessly to meet those needs in the best possible way,” says Francis Wood, Quality Assurance and Education Consultant at Jebel Ali Village Nursery Group.
Focusing on preparing the foundations of growth and development for our children we work with the British Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS), which actively teaches skills through its seven areas of learning. We build confidence and allow every child to have a positive growth mindset, which is vital in aiding them to flourish when they enter school.
Francis Wood, Quality Assurance and Education Consultant at Jebel Ali Village Nursery Group
“Focusing on preparing the foundations of growth and development for our children we work with the British Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS), which actively teaches skills through its seven areas of learning. We build confidence and allow every child to have a positive growth mindset, which is vital in aiding them to flourish when they enter school.”
Confidence is grown through many ways at nurseries, and although some parents, or indeed educators, might consider a structured pedagogy is needed to flourish, play-based learning can pay dividends.
“We recently planted an allotment with the children, where some were very inquisitive about the texture of the soil and how this changed when water was added,” says Susan Roberts, Director, Children’s Oasis Nursery.
The wonderful thing about these unstructured, child-led experiences is that each provides meaningful, real-life contexts and opportunities for learning.
Susan Roberts, Director, Children’s Oasis Nursery
“The wonderful thing about these unstructured, child-led experiences is that each provides meaningful, real-life contexts and opportunities for learning. We discovered opportunities for literacy (making labels and making sense out of seed packets) and numeracy (counting out seeds and rows for our herbs and vegetables to grow), as well as the obvious social and emotional development, communication and understanding of the world.”
With these maths and literacy skills, nurseries are preparing children for their next step in life.
“These confidence-building, curiosity-inspiring, cross-curricular experiences provide children with the skills they need for moving up to primary school,” says Roberts. “By this I’m not referring to writing their names perfectly but, more importantly, building independence, social skills, confidence and a strong sense of self.”
The school is deeply committed to developing the professional practice of its faculty, and offers significant on- and off-campus professional learning opportunities to all faculty and staff.
Dr Paul Richards, Superintendent, American School of Dubai (ASD)
However, while children are monitored and encouraged to grow, the teaching staff continue learning too. The American School of Dubai’s early learning programme offers a Reggio Emilia-inspired play-based environment and teaching staff get regular training.
Continuous learning
Dr Paul Richards, Superintendent, American School of Dubai (ASD), explains, “The school is deeply committed to developing the professional practice of its faculty, and offers significant on- and off-campus professional learning opportunities to all faculty and staff. To deepen their understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach, ASD’s Early Learning educators have additional training and professional development specific to early childhood education — such as ongoing professional training with consultants on campus, training in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and site visits to other schools that implement flexible learning.”
With the combination of first-class teacher training, caring educators and uniquely tailored learning approaches, nurseries are setting the foundation for the future success of youngsters in the UAE.
Future-ready or not?
“Our programmes have been proven to create behavioural traits that are key to future success, not just in school but throughout life,” says Tania Siddiqi, Director, Masterminds Nursery & Kindergarten. “These include resilience, adaptability, curiosity, and empathy.
Children exposed to high-impact early education have a vastly more connected brain with lifelong implications for learning, achievement, emotional resilience and well-being.
Tania Siddiqi, Director, Masterminds Nursery & Kindergarten
“Children exposed to high-impact early education have a vastly more connected brain with lifelong implications for learning, achievement, emotional resilience and well-being. Diversity of exposure is what drives adaptability and curiosity. This is why students at Masterminds Nursery are exposed to a unique curriculum that incudes English, Arabic and French immersion; encyclopedic knowledge ranging from mammals to great art masterpieces and inventors; learning to the play the violin, swimming, gymnastics and more.”
Like Our Facebook Page For Latest News
The post Give kids a head start in life with quality early education appeared first on The Wealth Land.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings